Qi Circulation Through the Heavens, Thus and So

"Demons are [Essence Treasures]?"

"Or rather, demon flesh also counted as a kind of [Essence Treasure]!?"

Li Xian had always been intelligent. Seeing this, he immediately guessed the truth.

When Madam had summoned him back then, it had not been out of concern for the guards' casualties, but to confirm the clues regarding the "demons."

Afterward, she had sent Pang Long and Li Xian out of the manor together to collect the overdue rent. The "Beast-Driving Bell" Pang Long carried was probably fake—it should have been a "Beast-Luring Bell."

It was only that the Snow Demon Monkey was extremely clever and highly sensitive to danger, so it had refused to show itself.

Presumably... Madam had followed behind them during that journey as well.

And today, with the wind and snow raging beyond compare, Madam had sent Li Xian to buy rouge, once again using him as bait.

To lure out the Snow Demon Monkey.

The howling wind and snow could serve as cover, making it difficult for the Snow Demon Monkey to detect her presence.

As for why it had to be "Li Xian"—

The Snow Demon Monkey likely possessed another trait: "narrow-mindedness." Any [Human Food] that had slipped through its teeth—if it got another chance, it would surely make up for the loss.

Feng Huo had been just like that.

And Madam Wen had known this long ago, which was why she had used Li Xian as bait.

"In that case..."

"The Snow Demon Monkey's speed in the snow was such that even Madam could hardly catch up to it."

"Otherwise, why would she need to lure it out?"

Li Xian secretly speculated about Madam's strength.

"You're not bad."

"If you don't want to freeze to death, follow me."

A faint, ethereal voice drifted over. The wind and snow howled without end, yet that voice could be heard with perfect clarity.

Li Xian pulled his thoughts back.

Madam walked several yards ahead of him. From beginning to end, she had not glanced at Li Xian even once. To avoid losing his way, Li Xian followed closely behind.

Amid the wind and snow, he could smell a faint, delicate fragrance.

Li Xian lowered his head and hurried onward. The fire in his heart burned ever more fiercely. He wanted to become strong—strong enough to take his own life into his hands!

Today, he had been bait.

There had been no other choice.

But if he had the chance in the future, he never wanted to experience it a second time.

Within One Accord Manor.

"So that was how it was."

Pang Long let out a long sigh and brought Li Xian a pot of hot tea.

What burned in the brazier was Sun-Scent Charcoal, which had an outstanding effect against the cold. It warmed Li Xian's frozen, rigid limbs until feeling gradually returned to them.

After taking a sip of hot tea, he had nearly recovered completely.

Seeing that the charcoal had burned out, Pang Long added several more pieces.

He already knew of Li Xian's experience in the snow. Patting Li Xian on the shoulder, he said, "It's good enough that you came back alive this time. Don't think too much about it. Someone like Madam..."

He wanted to say something more, but swallowed the words.

"I understand."

Li Xian held the hot tea, his expression calm.

If anyone imagined Madam to be some merciful, living Bodhisattva, they would be gravely mistaken.

How could someone who had established such grim and forbidding manor rules possibly be ordinary?

"But Commander Pang, does 'Essence Food' refer to demon flesh?" Li Xian asked while the opportunity was there. "In that case, to martial artists, demons aren't a threat at all, but treasures instead?"

"Yes... and no." Pang Long frowned. Li Xian was merely a Grade-C House Guard and had no right to inquire into such matters.

Yet after weighing it over, Pang Long still said, "At most, it can only be called 'Low-Grade Essence Food.'"

"The flesh and blood of demons often contain toxins. If used as 'Essence Food,' it must be boiled over a fierce fire to refine away the poison."

"The world is vast, and there are all manner of strange things. High-quality [Essence Treasures] are born of heaven and earth, but for people like us, how difficult would it be merely to take a single bite of such a treasure?"

"As for its taste... it is even harder to describe in words."

"And demons also enjoy feeding on humans. Who knew how many martial artists who had undergone Bone Recasting had ultimately died at demons' hands. Killing and devouring one another... it was more like they were natural enemies."

As he spoke, anticipation rose in Pang Long's heart.

He had once been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of a true [Essence Treasure].

"Commander Pang, when I was walking through the wind and snow earlier, circulating Inner Qi through my meridians to ward off the cold was several times more effective than clothing." Li Xian asked, "If I can achieve Qi Circulation Through the Heavens, wouldn't I no longer fear severe cold?"

"Not so." Pang Long shook his head. "Qi Circulation Through the Heavens can indeed improve resistance to cold, but remaining exposed to wind and snow for long periods is still no good thing."

"Moreover, there are many peculiar climates in this world. For example, within some abyss, snow may fall without stopping for a thousand years, filling the place with a kind of extreme cold qi."

"In such places, even martial artists who have undergone Bone Recasting would be frozen into ice sculptures upon entering."

"I often hear you mention Qi Circulation Through the Heavens... but I do not know what it truly is. Commander Pang, could you explain a little?" Li Xian asked.

Outside, wind and snow danced through the air.

Having narrowly escaped death, Li Xian thirsted for strength more than ever. Naturally, he would not miss this chance to seek Pang Long's guidance once again.

He voiced the questions that had long accumulated in his heart.

These questions seemed like common knowledge. Yet they were often difficult to clarify; one had to rely on opportunity, and on the mood of one's superiors.

Even Pang Long was quite stingy in this regard. Whenever Li Xian asked him about such matters, Pang Long always held things back. Even when he revealed something, it was only a scrap squeezed from between his fingernails.

After all, Pang Long himself had pried these things bit by bit from between other people's fingernails, then gathered and organized them.

"So-called Qi Circulation Through the Heavens..."

Pang Long rose to his feet. Seeing that Li Xian had rendered service to Madam, he intended to impart some knowledge as compensation.

With a slight shake of his body, a faint white membrane appeared over his skin. It vanished in an instant as he said, "The human body has three hundred and sixty-one acupuncture points."

"Beginning from the Dantian, Inner Qi becomes like threads, flowing around the acupuncture points. When Inner Qi remains unbroken, unscattered, unsunken, and unsubstantial, joining into a complete circle, that is called 'Qi Circulation Through the Heavens.'"

"Ordinary martial artists who reach this level can already lock in their blood and qi. The rate at which their vitality declines is greatly slowed."

"Their martial lifespan... also becomes longer."

"For men, the age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and for women, thirty-one or thirty-two, is when blood and qi reach their peak. If one cannot attain Qi Circulation Through the Heavens before then—"

"Blood and qi will wither year by year. Unless one encounters some extraordinary fortune, the martial path will have reached its end."

All of this fell within the scope of the Clay Embryo Realm, the Initial Martial Realm.

"I was twenty-nine when I barely achieved Qi Circulation Through the Heavens."

"So... train diligently. Your talent is not bad. If you persist, perhaps you may reach my level someday."

Pang Long smiled.

"Qi Circulation Through the Heavens... once you reach that level, though you are still but a Clay Embryo, your stamina, blood and qi, and recovery ability will all far surpass those of ordinary people."

Li Xian listened, utterly absorbed, forgetting even to drink his tea. "How does one reach Major Accomplishment? Can it be achieved simply through martial training and accumulating Inner Qi?"

"Yes and no..." Pang Long's thick brows furrowed. After pondering for a moment, he continued:

"This is difficult to explain. Take the children of great aristocratic clans, for instance. Their resources are abundant. Eating, nourishing themselves, training, soaking in medicinal baths—a full set of methods. A month of effort for them can equal a year of our bitter training."

"People like that... need only bring three to five basic martial arts to Minor Accomplishment to achieve Qi Circulation Through the Heavens."

"Or there are those born as martial prodigies. We are born as Clay Embryos. But they are not—they are Bronze Embryos, Silver Embryos, Gold Embryos, Jade Embryos, Phoenix Embryos, Dragon Embryos... How could we possibly compare with them?"

At this point, Pang Long treated the tea as wine and drained it in one gulp. With a sigh, he said, "Sometimes, the gap between one person and another is greater than the gap between a person and a pig."

Pang Long looked at Li Xian. "Take you, for example. You're the sort who can accomplish great things."

"You faced life-and-death danger twice, yet look at you—you remained far too calm. If you had been born into a good lot... perhaps you might truly have become a soaring dragon."

"But if your fate is poor, who can you blame?"

"Still, things are not bad now. Steady and sure—you have the makings of Grade-A."

Li Xian did not take it to heart. "Commander Pang, based on your experience, roughly how long will it take to achieve Qi Circulation Through the Heavens?"

Pang Long glanced at him. "What martial artists fear most is aiming too high."

"Forget anything else; take me as an example. Before achieving Qi Circulation Through the Heavens, everything I studied was basic martial arts."

"Two at Major Accomplishment, three at Minor Accomplishment, and five at Proficiency—roughly ten martial arts in all. The Inner Qi I accumulated was barely enough for Qi Circulation Through the Heavens."

"Ten martial arts... For the first martial art, I spent three years training it to Major Accomplishment. It was a fist technique."

"Afterward, I could draw inferences from one instance to another. When I practiced other basic fist techniques, my progress became extremely fast. Within a year, I brought another fist technique to Minor Accomplishment and trained one more to Proficiency."

"After that, I trained without ceasing. By the ninth year, I had one at Major Accomplishment, four at Minor Accomplishment, and five at Proficiency. Yet I still had not achieved Qi Circulation Through the Heavens. So I took a desperate risk and trained in a self-mutilating manner."

"Finally, I brought another fist technique into Major Accomplishment. Only then did I achieve Qi Circulation Through the Heavens and lock in my blood and qi."

"So that was it..." Li Xian nodded inwardly. "Thus and so."